Streaming QBs: Week 14

I think we need to take a moment here at QB streaming to appreciate the season Patrick Mahomes is having, and what it means historically. He has thrown the most touchdowns in two straight games in NFL history with 10. He had the most touchdowns through 3 games for a rookie (12) crushing the old record of 8. Through 12 games, he has also obliterated the Chiefs team touchdown record. The season record was 30, and he has thrown 41 through only 12 games. He is on pace for over 50 by year’s end, and a likely MVP award win. I could go on for pages about Patrick Mahomes value, but it’s clear. If you drafted him, you are surely in your fantasy playoffs and things are looking good. Kudos! Still, there are those of us who didn’t draft Mahomes, and we have to march on. Starting off with our two underowned options, we picked Dak Prescott and Jameis Winston. They finished with 18.6 and 25.3 respectively, and both were in the top-16 on the week. I continue to like Dak as the Cowboys chase their playoff spot, and I love Winston as he plays for his NFL future. Here’s a look at the whole top 12 list.

Player

Team

Opponent

Percent Owned

Fantasy Points

1. Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City

Oakland

99%

36.0

2. Josh Allen

Buffalo

Miami

5%

33.1

3. Nick Mullens

San Francisco

Seattle

7%

28.8

4. Derek Carr

Oakland

Kansas City

18%

27.1

5. Russell Wilson

Seattle

San Francisco

95%

26.7

6. Marcus Mariota

Tennessee

NY Jets

34%

26.4

7. Cam Newton

Carolina

Tampa Bay

99%

26.3

8. Jameis Winston

Tampa Bay

Carolina

57%

25.3

9. Baker Mayfield

Cleveland

Houston

59%

23.9

10. Philip Rivers

LA Chargers

Pittsburgh

96%

23.0

11. Carson Wentz

Philadelphia

Washington

90%

22.9

12. Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh

LA Chargers

97%

22.1

It was a decent week for streamers with 4 options, and we caught one of them in Derek Carr with 27.1 points. Our streamer of the week was Lamar Jackson, who place 14th with 19.8 points, and then finally we liked Case Keenum…our one dud of the week. He only managed 12.5, which still didn’t kill us. It was a good ways behind the pack though. Josh Allen has now broken into the top-12 two weeks in a row, and could be a sneaky pick for the next couple weeks, as well as moving into next season. A lot of his value comes from his willingness to rush, and we have discussed how valuable this can be. Every 10 rushing yards is another point, and it’s usually not to hard for a decent runner at QB to pick up 10 on a scramble. Keep an eye on Allen, especially as he was only 5% owned last week. Nick Mullens is more of a blip on the radar, and not much more. Sure, it’s great that he had a good week. However, I won’t count on it again and I could hardly rely on this in my playoffs. Finally, we had Marcus Mariota return to the list. He has been in the top 15 three of the last four weeks and two of those times he was in the top 12, including a #6 finish this week. However, that missing week he was 29th and fully killed your team if you played him. The Titans offense continues to make me nervous, even if Mariota can look downright excellent at times. All this being said, where are we looking for the coming week? Let’s find out.

Jameis Winston (62%)

If you were here last week, things are going to look very similar this week. This is excellent news, because you likely already have a great streaming option for week 14 without even trying. Jameis Winston has played well these last 3 weeks, putting up an average 250+ yards and 2 touchdowns per game, averaging 23.6 points per week or 6th overall during that time. I expect no reason for this to change, especially with a juicy matchup against the Saints awaiting. Sure, New Orleans will probably win. Sure, Winston will probably throw a pick at some point in the game. However, I also expect at least 2 touchdowns in a likely shootout. If you had Winston last week, stay the course with an easy top-10 option this week.

Baker Mayfield (59%)

Baker Mayfield, like Jameis Winston, has really found his stride as of late. Over the last 3 weeks, he is a top-6 QB in points per game and over the last 5 weeks he is top-10. I love Mayfield moving forward, and I’d go so far as to predict the end of the misery in Cleveland. I truly believe they could be playoff bound next year if the head coach search goes well. Baker has thrown multiple touchdowns in 5 of his last 6 games and he was only below 200 yards once during that time. Mayfield has a nice matchup against a Carolina team that is fading fast and a passing defense that gives up the 6th most points to opposing quarterbacks this year. Like with Winston, I’d hold on to Mayfield again if you played him last week. He is looking like a superstar in the making.

Lamar Jackson (45%, stream of the week)

I sweat this is the last of the repeats from last week. We continue with another rookie, and another young face that could define the league for years to come. Lamar Jackson has shown the legs we all knew he had in college, and he has been a top-12 option over the last 3 weeks–his first three starts, by the way–as a result. I’ve song the merits of running quarterbacks before, so I hardly need to repeat myself endlessly. Jackson is trying to show that he can be the leader of the team next year, and I think he is succeeding in a big way. He has lead the Ravens to 3 straight wins after they had been struggling (3 straight losses, lost 4 of their last 5) under Flacco. I like the direction the Ravens are heading in, and they could be dangerous in the playoffs if Jackson keeps improving. I love the matchup this week against Kansas City, and I love Lamar Jackson as my stream of the week.

Eli Manning (21%)

This is where we get to the bargain bin…right? Surely I don’t want to start Eli Manning with my season on the line. Well, usually I would agree. However, this week that might not be true. While I do prefer the previous three quarterbacks on the list, this is hardly a bad choice. The Giants have surprisingly won 3 of their last 4 games and they have put up almost 30 points per game during that time. They now boast season wins over the Texans and Bears…two division winners, and they have a reeling Redskins team coming up. I could talk myself into Eli putting up 250 yards and 2 scores here, which would be serviceable for sure. While he is a big step back from the previous 3 choices, I could start Eli this week if the waiver wire was thin.

Josh Allen (12%, sneaky start)

Okay, I’ll admit it. I thought Josh Allen was going to be a complete flop, the Bills would be lucky to win two games this year, and they would be starting the next quarterback search towards the end of next season. Luckily for Buffalo natives, this has not been the case. Allen has shown promise in his first year, and a rushing ability that I certainly wasn’t counting on. With his big arm and his legs, he is a fantasy value we can’t ignore for much longer. He plays the Jets this week, who gave up 10+ yards per rush to Marcus Mariota last week. He is only 12% owned right now, so he is almost guaranteed to be out there. If you miss on Winston, Mayfield, and Jackson, Allen would be my next choice. He has the second most fantasy points over the last two weeks, and I could easily see this continue against a struggling Jets team, even if they return Sam Darnold. Whatever happens, remember Allen late in the draft next year. Also, just imagine the look on your opponent’s face if you beat them with Josh Allen this week.

Comments

I would be very happy to have that decision right now. I’d lean towards Mayfield because he has the higher passing ceiling in my opinion (I think he is a better pure thrower and more likely to have a BIG week than Jackson right now)